Of Mind, Body and Soul
by JungHana
Summary: Yes, he was absolutely taken- Mind, Body and Soul. RyoSaku ) Slightly OOC. Protective Ryoma and of course, a very very dense Sakuno. XD Please Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1- Brace yourself Ryoma!

Greetings to you all ^_^ I hope you all like it, please enjoy! =)

**AN: **Okay, so everybody's two years older than in the Anime, which leaves everybody except Ryoma in senior high. I love Sakuno, and I like envisioning her to be, well, not so clumsy or shy and meek. The manga shows her being a little more independent and confident, and I realized I like her better that way! ^_^

**Disclaimer: I do not own PoT. It's the work of a genius- Takeshi Konomi Sensei. **

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**Of Mind, Body and Soul**

**Chapter-1**

**Brace yourself Ryoma!**

_He snaked his arms around her petite form, kissing her senseless, ravishing her supple, pink lips. It felt beyond amazing, it felt heavenly. He knew she was his at present, and if he found the courage to truly express his feelings for her, she would be his forever, forever to hold and to cherish._

_He kissed her with an overwhelming amount of passion, more overwhelming however, were the spasms that encompassed his nervous system as he felt her small palms against his bare skin as they roamed his toned form. She was kissing him back with the same vigour and more so, with the same love._

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'Ngg.. god damnit! That blasted alarm clock has got to stop being so jarring to my ears!' Ryoma Echizen was definitely not pleased when he was awoken from that surreal, absolutely mind blowing dream. Yes, that's what it was, a mere dream. Sighing, he got out of bed and into the shower for morning practice awaited him.

The Tennis Prince was not known to display any form of emotion. This notion of course, was absolutely justified, for many thought he didn't HAVE them to start with. When he did find out about this preposterous idea, he was not pleased, definitely not pleased. He hadn't gone up to the terrace that afternoon only to overhear Ryuzaki Sakuno, the nicest person in school, saying that he, Echizen Ryoma, had no emotions and that he was as stark as a white wall and as hard as a rock. Oh no, she hadn't just said that. He was hurt to say the least. See? That, right there, was emotion! Now she'd gone and ruined his plans of having a peaceful afternoon siesta. He simply grumbled incoherently and headed back to class that afternoon. That faithful afternoon that had so easily crushed any hope of confronting Ryuzaki Sakuno, both in the near and the far future.

Sighing once again upon entering the school, he morosely trudged his way to the tennis courts. He was the captain of the Seigaku Tennis Team, and he definitely intended to continue the legacy Tezuka Kunimitsu and Kaido Kaoru had forged as the captains of their time, by snagging the National's Trophy, two years in a row. Instantly cheering up at the prospect of leading his team to victory once again, the fifteen year old lad made his way towards the courts to get some kickass practice done.

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English had always been his forte- his stay in the U.S. had ensured that. Therefore, he hardly found the need to concentrate in class. Slowly drifting away, into the world that would morph to his whims and fancies, his eyelids grew heavy as they slowly drooped down, intent on shielding his cat-like golden orbs, when—"OKAY CLASS! I shall assign to each of you, a partner with whom you shall be doing all your projects for the rest of the school year! Make the most of it." This instantly got Ryoma on high alert as he sensed the predatory eyes of his many fan girls on him as they smiled in an absolutely mortifying manner. He clicked his tongue in indignation and lowered his cap over his eyes as the teacher continued to rant out a list of names. As he was once again being drawn to his world—"Echizen Ryoma you will be paired with- *insert many girls yelling out "ME! ME!"*- Ryuzaki Sakuno. I would also highly appreciate it if you catty females stopped with this ruckus as of the duration of class, continue this later!" boomed Igarashi-sensei. Ryoma let out a breath he never knew he was holding as he heard the name of his partner. She wasn't so bad—wait! Hold up! He just said Ryuzaki Sakuno, oh hell no. This was definitely bad! He couldn't just spend every English period with that girl, how would one expect him to sleep during the time, if he couldn't dream of his rendezvous with his girl? This was bad, his schedule was ruined, he couldn't simply doze off, when the girl of his dreams was right next to him!

"Ryoma-kun? Earth to Ryoma-kun!" he quickly snapped his head towards her and groaned inwardly. She was appallingly close to him and was staring at him with those big brown doe-like eyes that had him.. no, NO. He had to snap out of it, now. Clearing his throat, "Uh, yes?" he asked, looking like the epitome of innocence. "Ano… you were spacing out, Ryoma-kun. Something bothering you?" asked she, as she went about arranging her books on the make-shift table that she had made for the two. "What are you talking about Ryuzaki? Let's get on with the subject, shall we?" he coolly changed the topic. Cool, he was, on the outside, that is. On the inside however, his mind and heart found themselves clashing with one another in a melange of emotions, as they only fuelled his hormonal turmoil. "Okay, Ryoma-kun, let's begin" Sakuno slid her book so both teens could refer to it and in the process had Ryoma leaning towards her in order to peep into the contents of the page. As their shoulders brushed, Sakuno's blood flow was quick to change paths and rush to her cheeks as Ryoma forcefully pushed down his back to the deepest recesses of his heart.

Both persons could feel their hearts pounding as they continued to pretend to read as to the sentences in their text books. Ryoma knew that he would simply have to brace himself for what was to come through the year, because if this were to continue, he would lose himself to his emotions.

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Yes! =) I totally love this pairing! Again, I hope you all like it :)

Please R & R

Love

Hana-chan


	2. Chapter 2- Caught

So, the second chapter! ^_^

**Disclaimer: PoT, of course, belongs to Takeshi Konomi Sensei**

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**Chapter-2**

**Caught**

What a tiring day that was! Ryoma had surprisingly managed to calm down mid-way through their 'study-session' and had indeed helped out Sakuno with the few problems she faced during the exercise. It surprised him honestly, how she had grown in the past two years—she no longer stuttered, nor was she terribly shy. Somehow it seemed as though puberty had resulted in the awakening of those dormant brain cells as well. Come third year of Junior high, and Sakuno was one of the best students of their year. She could now grasp concepts and ideas with far more ease than she could when younger. Her English, oh, her English! She made Ryoma proud. Her aptitude towards the language only seemed to develop as days passed by. He was more surprised, however, when he realized that he was not only attracted to the girl on a physical level, but on the mental and emotional levels as well. Too bad she assumed he had no emotions.

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Sulking as that afternoon replayed in his mind, he stepped into his home, "Tadaima!" he went on to change into a more casual attire without flinging profanities at his 'Baka- oyaji' which surprised everyone. "Oi shishounen! What got under your ass today? Sakuno-chan ditch you?" snickered his father before a loud clang resounded in the dining room as a pan made contact with Nanjirou's head. "Anata! Mind your language!" he simply rubbed the swelling on his cranium as he continued to snicker.

Dinner was dreary and bothersome as Nanjirou kept bothering his son about the coach's grand-daughter and Rinko simply kept telling him off. Finally, as he got to the sanctity of his room, Ryoma plopped on to his bed, tired, as he had been especially aggressive during the practice matches today. He soon drifted off into the vivid world of dreams as his eyes slowly came to a close and the room had transformed into a place of placidity.

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As he made his way to the last flight of stairs that lead to the school's terrace. He hoped to sleep through the break because he had forgotten to carry lunch, and the only way to make him forget the insistent rumbling of his stomach was to sleep it off. In his daze, he hadn't noticed the terrace door ajar and hadn't registered the presence of its occupant when he tripped on a bag. Frowning at it, he moved his head to face the owner of the heinous thing when his golden orbs widened at the sight of flowing auburn hair that was let loose from its characteristic high pony—yes, Sakuno had changed her hairstyle this year, and it did nothing but increase the magnitude of the attraction he felt towards her. Noticing Ryoma standing there, mouth agape and body stiff, she simply cocked her head to one side cutely, "Ryoma-kun? Why are you just standing there?" she questioned, but received no answer. Brain-storming, was the appropriate word to describe what his mind was doing, as he thought of the various outcomes this encounter could result in, when he was snapped out of it as his stomach grumbled embarrassing loudly. Clearing his throat gingerly, he simply shook his head in response.

Sakuno laughed lightly as she beckoned him to sit beside her, as she pulled out the extra bento she brought every day, just in case. He gulped visibly as he slowly made his way to her and sat down quietly. She was being too kind to a person she thought was a rock, wasn't she? It didn't make sense to him, but then again, nothing concerning Ryuzaki ever did. A soft gasp brought him out of his reverie as Sakuno sheepishly smiled at him "Ano, I forgot to get an extra pair of chopsticks" she said, a light blush painting her cheeks. Some miraculous part of Ryoma's brain that hadn't stopped functioning, one hell of an opportunistic part, at that, made him say something he never would have, if he were in the right state of mind, "well, then, let's share the same chopsticks, feed me, or something." As soon as the words left his mouth, he caught Sakuno blushing uncontrollably. "F-feed y-you?" pushing his luck further, "what? You don't want to?" he asked coolly. Shaking her head vigorously, "Iie! I do! I mean… u-umm, are you sure, Ryoma-kun?" He nodded dumbly and leaned towards her, his mouth open, "Aaa", the blush on her cheeks deepened as a soft smile graced her lips. He looked so innocent and sweet then, she simply couldn't say no. Gingerly picking up an octopus sausage, she placed it into his awaiting mouth. He immediately smirked to himself as he chewed on the piece of meat. Sakuno continued to feed him and herself, and when both Bento's were wiped clean, she smiled at him brightly. This was certainly enjoyable. Ryoma cracked a slight smile in response as he decided he liked her cooking, more so when she fed it to him.

For a minute there, he didn't know what took over him, but he brought his arm out and encircled it around her shoulders, holding her close. It wasn't very different from a friendly hug, but considering the situation and the people involved in it, it was anything but 'just friendly'. Sakuno could feel herself burning up, she squeaked meekly as she simply sat, unmoving. He then whispered a soft 'thank you', which was intended to be innocent and sincere. It was sincere, alright, but innocent? Not so much. She shivered as his breath fanned her ear and berated herself as not-so-innocent thoughts started filling her head. Ryoma too, felt the heat rising to his cheeks as the events that had transpired were finally registering in his mind.

A soft cough pulled both people apart as they whipped their heads to find a very amused Fuji standing at the door. He usually visited this terrace more than the high-school building's as he found this more peaceful. 'Shit' was the one word that crossed Ryoma's mind as Fuji greeted them both, his conspiring smile in place. Sakuno was quick to stand up and greet him back politely, as she packed hastily, occasionally stealing glances in the younger boy's direction. Ryoma simply pulled his cap lower, to hide the blush on his cheeks, of course, and deadpanned a "cheers…" as he made his way out the terrace landing. Sakuno followed and caught up to his strides as the two teens made their way back to class without the exchange of a single word. Although, they did have one word that repeated itself continuously in their heads, **"Caught"**.

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Owari! ^_^

I hope you guys enjoyed the second chapter!

Please R & R!

Love

Hana-chan


	3. Chapter 3- Paint your Heart with Warmth

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis *sighs***

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**Chapter-3**

**Paint your heart with Warmth**

A week had passed since the day they were, well, they were only sharing a friendly hug when Fuji-senpai happened to witness it and this stuff had been blown out of proportion. Why were all his senpais giving him such a hard time about it? Heck, even Tezuka couldn't help but smirk slightly at Ryoma's plight. Geez, talk about not being able to give a girl a simple friendly hug. Simple, yeah right. 'Tch, what the hell? Hug one girl and this happens. Che…' Well, technically, he had hugged Ryuzaki Sakuno, the coach's grand- daughter and the girl who was apparently 'destined' to end up with Ryoma. Ryoma smirked at the thought of that. He'd been having *cough* strange *cough* dreams of the said girl and after a few months of denial, he'd just conceded to the fact that he did, indeed like the girl. He knew she liked him, loved him, even. But Ryoma couldn't help but feel like a wuss when he thought of confronting her, not that he'd let that be known, of course. Shaking off his insecurities, Ryoma made his way to Sakuno's seat. It was English, and they were partners. Sakuno turned and brightly smiled at him "Ryoma-kun! Ohayo!" Ryoma nodded in response and sat next to her.

English in the Eighth Hour was good. It was the end of the day, just before Tennis practice, and he intended on spending this time thoroughly enjoying himself in Sakuno's company. He purposely leaned closer to Sakuno as they continued to answer the questions in their book. He smirked slightly when he noticed her cheeks tinted red as she discussed the answers with him. Neither shied away from the proximity because, well, they didn't mind it at all, it was comfortable really. Comfort was good, and all good things come to an end, eventually. It was when Sakuno turned to look at the Prince for the answer to a question she didn't get, that both teens' eyes widened as their lips lightly brushed against one another.

Time had stopped, yes, it waited for some. Even something so subtle had been capable of sending jolts of pleasure through the teens' bodies as both had their stomachs lurching. His adam's apple moved up and down, and up and down, indicating he swallowed continuously at the awkward situation. Personally, he thought Sakuno looked extremely beautiful, with her face so close to his and her cheeks flushed a pretty pink, but this was not the time to fantasize! Damage control! He quickly cleared his throat and weakly rasped out, "so, what was it you were asking me, Ryuzaki?" Sakuno seemed to recoil at the sound of his voice as she stuttered out the question to him, eyes directed anywhere but at him. Poor Sakuno-chan in her flustered state. x)

As a painful twenty minutes passed by and the end of class bell resounded through the hallways, every student packed his or her belongings and rushed out of class, intent on getting out and enjoying the evening. Well, everyone except our little Auburn head. Ryoma raised a fine eyebrow at her, to which she merely shook her head "Ano.. I have an art project I want to finish now, so I'll come by the courts a little later". He couldn't deny the sinking feeling he felt as he heard that. She wouldn't be there to watch him, not that he played in the practice matches every day, but she would still make it a point to be there and her interest in the sport only seemed to increase, as she watched all the matches with fascination, despite her many failed attempts at playing the sport. He pushed down the disappointment and numbly nodded to her as he made his way to the locker rooms.

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Wiping the beads of sweat from his brow as he entered the locker room, once again, he proceeded to taking a shower. Momo-senpai and Kaido-senpai had decided to visit the youngest member of the Dream Team (soon to be re-united) and decided that the boy was getting 'lazy and lousy' because they'd hardly seen him play. Ryoma of course, not being one to back down on a challenge accepted to play both his senpais. It was a miracle how the boy, no longer so little, had managed to beat both the seniors AND have the energy to walk around the courts instructing the other members as to their practice schedules.

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Ah, a shower definitely felt good. He stepped out and got dressed, and suddenly, it hit him. He hadn't noticed that Sakuno hadn't turned up at all! He was so engrossed in his matches that he completely forgotten. Quickly getting into his pants and shirt, he hastily made his way to the school's main building. Had she left without him? Had she gone home alone, in the dark? What if something'd happen to her? All these questions raced through his head as he rushed to their classroom. He slid open the door of the room and an immense warmth and a sense of relief washed over him. He quietly leaned against the wall as he observed Sakuno painting with all her concentration. She looked cute when her lips were slightly pouted and her eyes, determined. He was left amused as he watched her trying to brush away a few stray strands of hair with her paint smeared hands. Incidentally, she got some paint on her cheek as well, in spite of her failed attempts at taking her hair off her face. A low chuckle startled her as she turned to lay eyes upon the intruder. Her face instantly grew hot as she looked at Ryoma, leaning against the door frame, smiling at her in all his sexy glory.

It was true, both Ryoma and Sakuno had matured over the years. Ryoma had become much taller and had a lean, muscled body, courtesy of all that training and tennis. His hair was now slightly longer and fell over his eyes in a way that complemented his sharpened features perfectly. Yes, he was indeed swoonable. Totally. But, Sakuno was now on the It Girl list of many of the boys at school too, having changed her hairstyle and that curvy, yet lean body of hers couldn't simply go un-noticed by the hormonal male population. Ryoma was proud of himself for secretly scaring away all her admirers. Sakuno was his, even if the said girl wasn't aware of that yet. She was, after all, known to be painfully dense. He made his way to her and gently brushed off the stray hair from her pretty face. He smiled lightly and looked at the picture. His mood was in the skies instantly.

It was a painting of him, as he was suspended mid-air, having just hit a Drive B. Sakuno may not have been the pearl in the pond when it came to tennis, but painting was something she excelled at. He looked at her once again as she shyly met his gaze, "A-ano.. it.. well, I just, umm.." she trailed off as she tried hiding her blush. He was so drawn to her, he knew he really liked her, a lot. Slowly tipping her chin upwards and bringing his lips to hers, he closed the distance between them. She was so shocked she's forgotten how to think. There were foreign sensations coursing through her as Ryoma continued to kiss her softly. She let her eyes close and attempted to kiss back when she no longer felt his lips on her. "That's a nice painting there, Ryuzaki" Ryoma slyly complimented. His smirk grew wider as she stood in front of him, blushing like mad. He helped her pack her things up and led her out the school gates as they made their way home, walking next to one another, with a comfortable silence between them as they pondered as to the kiss that they had just shared.

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Eek! Ryoma is so bold! ^_^

Please R & R! =) :3

Love

Hana-chan


	4. Chapter 4- Infuriated

Anybody up for some good training? =D Please Enjoy! ^_^

(Gosh, Fuji's so wicked XD and sexy. *o* )

**Disclaimer: Takeshi Konomi Sensei owns PoT and all its Characters! ^_^**

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**Chapter-4**

**Infuriated**

Up the mountains they went, excitement fresh in the air. The Dream Team plus the former ichinen trio, Ryuzaki-sensei and of course, Sakuno and Tomoka, were heading to a training camp together. The kids would be graduating soon, and Tezuka had no intentions of letting Echizen go all old and useless on him. Old and useless, riiight. Tezuka Kunimitsu was now the captain of the Seigaku High Tennis Club, in spite of being a second year. He was all set on taking his team to the top of the high-school circuits as soon as Ryoma got into high-school. And so they went- to meet with their Hyotei counterparts. Yes, Sakaki-sensei had happily accepted the offer to practise with Seigaku once again, as was the tradition. The seniors hadn't changed much. Fuji, as we all know, was still the sadistic prodigy. The Golden Pair now looked really, really Golden, if you know what I mean. Oishi had grown out of his bowl cut and now had hair that reached the nape of his neck and fell over his head in stylish waves. Eiji-senpai no longer looked like a cute cat, but looked like one hell of a sexy feline, nonetheless, what with him having side bangs and all. Tezuka-buchou still had on his characteristic stern expression, but had grown terribly handsome and looked like someone who came out the magazines- they all did, actually. Kawamura- senpai hadn't changed much, but had decided that his life was left incomplete without tennis and had decided to continue with his passion for the sport. Kaido-senpai and Momo-senpai remained the same as well, with the bickering and all. So all in all, the team was the same, except for a few changes here and there.

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Sakuno and Tomoka sighed as they were finally done cooking dinner for both the teams, Hyotei decided to camp with them. As loud chatter could be heard in the hall, the girls went about setting the table and readying the cutlery. Sakuno silently made her way to the hall and immediately wished she hadn't, when suddenly, all the chatter had stopped on her entering the room. She felt so little under the stares of all these adolescent, good-looking men that she was sure she'd come down with hypothermia. "Aa! Sakuno-san, what a pleasure to see you here!" said Atobe as he gracefully made his way to her and confidently took her hand and kissed it. Immediately, yelling could be heard on the lines of "Atobe-buchou! You can't just have her to yourself!" "Usu." "Shishido-san! Control yourself! You can't kill the captain!" while the Seigaku members simply sweat-dropped as they looked at the ruckus the other team was creating, when suddenly, all movement stopped as a dark, demonic aura loomed over the hall and everybody turned to look at the youngest prodigy.

He had his cap pulled over his eyes as he slowly made his way towards Atobe, even the King couldn't deny the chills he felt as Ryoma neared. Every soul in the room stood still, in fear of irking the boy further. When suddenly Ryoma burst out laughing uncontrollably. "Ahahahaha! You're kidding right? Have her to yourself?" turning towards the rest of the team, "are you all out of your minds? D'you need me to knock some sense into those heads of yours? Seriously-" he suddenly felt something tug at his shirt sleeve "R-ryoma-kun, it's okay already-" he simply stared her down but was surprised to know she wasn't backing away. As the staring continued, coughs emitted from Oshitari and Tezuka had them break away from the staring contest. Ryoma confidently smirked at all the men as he pointed his racket in front of him "Tch, give me a break, you're all still mada mada dane". Having said that, he proceeded to head out the hall and into the dining room, sullenly plopping himself on one of the chairs at the table. Loud sighs and snickers were heard in the hall as the dark aura had receded. Sakuno nervously laughed and ushered all the boys to have dinner. On their way to the table, nods and grins could be detected on all men as Inui stated, his glasses glinting "Probability of Echizen making a move on Sakuno-chan during the camp, Hyaku percent".

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The camp had been going smoothly for the past three days, however, Ryoma had been growing increasingly irritated by the fact that none of the guys stopped their attempts of trying to flirt with Sakuno. They clearly hadn't gotten the message, those block-heads. One time he'd see Shishido trying to trying to talk animatedly with her, while another time he'd find Jirou playing with her hair and asking her if she would be PILLOW. And then there was Atobe, he'd been incessantly asking Sakuno to marry him because he could make her look pretty every day and give her everything she wanted. 'Damn you stupid Monkey King!' Ryoma cursed every time he'd talk to Sakuno, HIS Sakuno. Gakuto was the worst of them all. He'd always hover around her, somersaulting and jumping around like the pink-haired monkey that he was. Could he not see that he made Sakuno uncomfortable? Could NONE of them see it? Che…

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Two more days of camp to go and everybody seemed to get increasingly annoying. Ryoma had been spending his practice matches absolutely annihilating his opponents. Sighing he made his way to the kitchen to grab a can of Ponta when he was met with the most infuriating sight of his life. There stood Fuji, giving Sakuno a back hug, all the while nuzzling the crook of her neck. The two didn't seem to notice Ryoma enter the kitchen, or so he thought. He completely missed the evil smirk Fuji had on his lips as he whispered something into Sakuno's ear, when she blushed a tomato red. "N-no Fuji-sempai, R-ryoma-kun doesn't think of me that way! W-we're just friends!" in her flustered state, she'd forgotten the suggestive position they had been in. Ryoma audibly growled as he swiftly yanked Sakuno away from Fuji's hold and gave him his best death glare. "A-ano Ryoma-kun! What are you doing here?" "Sakuno, shut up." Absolutely taken aback by Ryoma's harsh words, Sakuno couldn't help but look like a frightened puppy, as Ryoma continued to glare down at Fuji. Fuji simply continued to smirk at him, his cerulean eyes taunting the Prince. "Saa, Echizen, you interrupted a private moment, it's not manners, you know—"

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Oh my god! That guy is so conspiring! =O

Hehe. I hope you liked it!

Please R & R

Love

Hana-chan


	5. Chapter 5- Dense is the Word

Great, now he went and got Ryom PISSED. *sighs and shakes my head*

Anyway! ^_^ Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Nope, this isn't the dream in which PoT is mine. *sobs* This is reality, and here, PoT belongs to Takeshi Konomi Sensei.**

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**Chapter-5**

'**Dense', is the word.**

_Fuji simply continued to smirk at him, his cerulean eyes taunting the Prince. "Saa, Echizen, you interrupted a private moment, it's not manners, you know—"_

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"_Do you want to die, Fuji-senpai?" _asked Ryoma in his most deadly tone. It took all his will power to keep himself from pouncing on Fuji and giving him a good beating. Instead of cowering under Ryoma's glare, Fuji simply turned to Sakuno, "Saa, Sakuno-chan, what were you saying about Echizen being just a—", he was once again interrupted as Ryoma took Sakuno by her hand and dragged her out the kitchen, through the halls and into one of the rooms. In his wake he left all his senpais and the Hyotei team in awe and glee, for he had, indeed, snapped.

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Closing the door shut, he quickly turned to face Sakuno and effectively pinned her against the wall, with his left palm pressed against its surface, and his right hand in his pocket. When he looked into Sakuno's eyes, he could we see the tears she'd been holding back. "You can cry if you like, Sakuno", as soon as the words had left his lips, she began to shake uncontrollably, hot tears escaping her beautiful brown eyes. "What is wrong with you Ryoma-kun?! Fuji senpai was hardly doing anything and yet you—" "What is WRONG with me?! And, the hell? Fuji was HARDLY doing anything? He was friggin' hugging you and had his face buried in your NECK! That's not doing anything?!" to say she was shocked was an understatement, more angry tears fell from those eyes as she asked him a question that had him freeze instantly. _**"W-why do you care, Ryoma-kun?" **_ Ryoma stood so still, you could have considered him inanimate.

In an instant, his eyes flared with an intensity that overwhelmed even him, as he chuckled darkly, "Why do I care? _**Why do I CARE?**_" he angrily pounded his fist against the wall, close to the side of her head. "Why the FUCK do you think I care, Sakuno?! Why the fuck do you think I spend so much time with you? Because I don't have anything to do?! Give me a BREAK! I am the captain of our tennis team, do you honestly believe that I am not busy?! Why the fuck do you think I walk you home EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. no matter what?!" he took in deep breaths to calm himself as he rested his head on her shoulder, while Sakuno looked absolutely stricken, her eyes wide and the flowing of her tears, ceased. "Why do you think…Sakuno?" whispered Ryoma as he heaved a great big sigh. "R-ryoma-kun… A-are you trying to s-say..?" Ryoma chuckled once again, only this time, it wasn't a dark one, instead, it was one of relief. "God woman, how on earth are you one of the best students of our grade, again?" As he lifted his head off her shoulder and stared into her eyes, "M-mou, t-that's mean Ryoma-kun", Sakuno blushed at the intensity of his gaze. "Mada mada dane", he finally leaned in and captured her lips. Sweet, that's what it was, but not for long.

As Sakuno blushed and responded by slowly snaking her arms around his neck and kissing back, Ryoma immediately felt invigorated and wrapped her up in his arms and held her close as he kissed her with more passion, letting out all the love he felt for her. Sakuno had her legs turned to jelly as they continued their heated make out session. When hormones raged and the need to touch skin arose, he moved his hands under her shirt and brushed his fingers up and down her sides, leaving goose-bumps in their wake. Sakuno moaned softly as he continued to let his fingers caress her skin. She wove her fingers through his hair to pull him closer as they kissed each other deeper. Slowly Ryoma pulled away, for the need of air. Not wanting to break contact, he left a hot trail of kisses down her jaw and the column of her slender neck and every other part of skin accessible. She moaned his name softly as tremors of pleasure coursed through her body. Kisses grew hotter and desires soared, and both knew that this was not the time or place to take this any further, but they couldn't bring themselves to care—KNOCK KNOCK! "hoi hoi! Ochibi! Don't hog Sakuno-chan nya!" "Oi Echizen! Dinner's ready! Get out of there, you sly bastard!" came Momo and Eiji's booming voices.

Both teens reluctantly pulled apart as Ryoma picked up his fallen cap and placed it over his head. He looked Sakuno up and down and gave her his signature smirk, as he led her out the room, where surprisingly all the campers had gathered, with cheeky smiles to grins to smirks and loads of cheering. "Echizen, you not only beat me, Atobe Keigo in tennis, but also in romance, ah?" Ryoma only smirked at him saying, "Mada mada dane", more wolf whistles ensued as Sakuno smiled happily, a cute blush adorning her pretty face and everything in the world was beautiful and sparkling—"Maatte Echizen!" came Tezuka's serious voice, as everybody stopped mid-way and stared at him, "Did you make sure to use protection?" he asked nonchalantly and many of the boys fell down anime style, while the rest simply sweat-dropped. "Peewww Tezuka! They weren't having sex nya! Tezuka no baka!" yelled Eiji, and for the first time, Tezuka looked perplexed, "Echizen, explain why you two were alone in the room then". Everybody looked at him as if he'd grown two heads, while Echizen simply smirked "Tezuka-buchou, you still have lots more to work on".

"Maa maa, what's all this I hear about condoms?" came Ryuzaki sensei's voice and everybody froze. As most boys turned to her and laughed nervously saying "ah ha.. y-you see sensei" and "ah well, i-it's just general.. ah hahaha!", her eyebrows could be seen twitching and suddenly, she turned to Echizen, with a menacing smile "Ryoma-kuuuun" Ryoma's eyes widened as he froze _'shimatta!', _Ryuzaki-sensei continued to smile in that creepy way, "Ryoma-kun, are you ready to become mada mada dane? Ahahahaha! Come here, boya!" and immediately, Ryoma spun on his heel, quickly ducking down and kissing Sakuno on her lips as he gave her one last smirk and said, "You're mine, Sakuno", "WHY YOU RYOMA! LEAVE MY GRAND DAUGHTER ALONE! Come here boy!" Ryoma instantly made a dash for his life, with the old woman right on his tail, one could hear Ryoma yell out on the lines of "Noway in HELL!" as he continued running away from her, it was a wonder how someone her age still had the stamina to run behind someone like him.

As coach and trainee continued their game of tag, everybody turned to a scarlet Sakuno and gave her a knowing look as teasing and more cheering ensued. Ah, life was good.

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Kekeke! ^_^ Ryoma's such a sweet Boya! ^_^ and Tezuka is so adorable, being such a simple minded boy and all.

I hope you all enjoyed!

Please R & R! =D

Love

Hana-chan


	6. Chapter 6- Epilogue

Aha! So does Ryoma actually quit tennis in the future? Has he won Grand Slam Titles at all? XD There's one cute little boy waiting for you guys to read!

**Disclaimer: *Grins* Nope, it's all Konomi Sensei's.**

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**Chapter-6**

**Epilogue**

"T-Tou-chan! Wake uuuppp, Tou-chan has to teach me tennis today! T-tou chan!" nudged a little boy with greenish black hair that fell over his head in a messy little mop. He huffed and turned his cat shaped brown eyes towards his mother, pleading her to help wake his father up. Sakuno sighed and gently nudged Ryoma, "Ryoma, you're making our son upset, are you afraid he'll beat you?" Sakuno whispered. In an instant, the 25 year old man was up and about, muttering along the lines of "who's afraid?" "him? Beat me? Sure." He headed downstairs and to the breakfast table where a generous serving of Yakiniku lay, smoking in all its glory. He felt his mouth water instantly, as he sat himself next to the midget who was his son, as he watched the boy gulp down many bottles of milk. Smirking to himself, he proceeded to eating his share of the delectable meat. "Ryoma, when do we leave to Australia?" Ryoma looked at his wife, smiling slightly, "In a week, Sa-ku-no-chan" He absolutely enjoyed watching her blush when he addressed her that way. His smile grew as he remembered his first victory at the Australian open.

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_An 18 year old Ryoma stood sweating as he watched his opponent collapse on to the court, it had been a long Finals match and his exhaustion was justified. He wiped the sweat off his brow as he went forward, offering his hand to the man he had defeated. Echizen Ryoma had won the Australian Open. A win in Wimbledon would mean he had won his first Grand Slam title. Wimbledon was not far away, and Ryoma was determined to get the title this year. But as of now, he had other things to attend to._

_He made his way to the stands where a beautiful young girl stood, her brown eyes sparkling with pride and an enchanting smile on her lips. "Omedeto Ryoma-kun!" she said as she hugged him happily. He felt so good when he was with her, returning her hug, he smiled at her with warm eyes. That was something he only showed Sakuno. "I need you to go somewhere with me Sakuno" when Sakuno cutely cocked her head to the side, letting her long auburn tresses flow freely behind her, Ryoma simply shook his head and lead the way out the stadium, ignoring all the reporters. Paparazzi were SUCH a pain!_

_They were at the Hotel's tennis court, under the starry skies. The two young adults engaged themselves in a casual rally. "Sakuno, what did you think of the match?" Sakuno smiled brightly as she answered, "it was highly entertaining, you were at your best today, Ryoma-kun!" Ryoma shook his head as he chuckled. "Sakuno, where do you want to go tomorrow?" Thinking for a while, she answered, smiling slightly, "Home Ryoma-kun, I want to go home" Ryoma couldn't hold back the smile he flashed her, home, yes. Home is where the heart is, and their hearts were in Tokyo, with all their senpai-tachi and friends and family. "Sakuno, will you marry me?" he looked at her seriously. Her eyes widened as she stared at him for five long minutes. He couldn't begin to describe how nervous he felt. Why wasn't she saying anything? Was she going to reject him? Did she not love—"Ryoma-kun…" she laughed lightly, jumping over the net and running to him, flinging her arms around his neck as she kissed him on the mouth. Ryoma was pleasantly surprised by her gesture. "Of course I'll marry you Ryoma-kun! Why would you need to ask?"_

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That had been a wonderful day, the best day of his life, only second to… He looked down at their son, as he sneakily stole a steak of meat off of Ryoma's plate. Chuckling lightly at his son's antics, he patted his dark head, "Mada mada dane Ryota" to which Ryota smiled brightly at his father, "No way, Mada mada dane yourself, Tou-chan!"

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As cheers boomed through the stadium, yelling out congratulations to the five time Grand Slam winner, Ryoma walked over to his wife and son, taking Ryota into his arms and turning him around in the air. As the little boy's laughter reached his parents' ears, they both felt an incredible sense of warmth flood their systems. "Tou-chan can win the Wimbeladodon and have a Great Slam again! Okaa-chan! Tou-chan won the Australarian Open!" he laughed happily. Ryoma messed his hair, "heh, I wonder if I must retire after this?" to which both Sakuno and Ryota looked absolutely miffed. Sometimes he wondered if his family loved his dreams more than he did. Well, whatever the case was, he knew that he would have to compromise neither his profession nor his family, because where Tennis was, the Tennis Prince's family was. Always. He smiled proudly as he looked at the two of them, he was absolutely taken—Mind, Body and Soul.

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Complete! ^_^ Ryota, I really like that name! What does it mean, though? I have no idea! :3 I took it off of Kise Ryota, from Kuroko no Basuke! ^_^

I really hope you all liked the story! =)

Again, please Read and Review! Your opinion is highly necessary and absolutely welcome! ^_^

Love

Hana-chan


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